Video Card Suggestions Needed

[ronbo613]

I don't often venture into the Video Cards/Graphics section here, but I'm looking for a little advice. I've been gaming on an Xbox 360 and I have no interest in spending the money on an Xbox One. I'm strictly a casual gamer, I play mostly COD, Battlefield, Forza and Pinball FX2. I switched from PC gaming to the Xbox because I got tired of buying a new video card every time a new game came out, but I don't like the way things are going with console gaming, so I'm looking to get back to the PC.

My computer specs are in my sig, a bit outdated but it's mainly a video and graphics workstation and it serves that purpose just fine. I'm going to need to upgrade the graphics card to play any kind of games though. I run two Acer 23" monitors at 1920 x 1080 as well as a 720p Sony TV via HDMI. I am not concerned about resolution, these displays are fine for me. I used to be an ATI fan, but the driver issues drove me crazy and I've used Nvidia cards, mostly EVGA, ever since. I want to play Project Cars, maybe Assetto Corsa and the usual Battlefield and COD games. I'll probably start out with older titles I already have on the Xbox like COD Ghosts and BF4.

With this modest setup and realistic expectations of graphics performance, what would be a decent, reasonably priced video card to look for with dual monitors and HDMI out?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[96Firebird]

Which resolution will you normally be playing games on?

 

[SickBeast]

I would say look for a good deal on a midrange card. Slickdeals.net is a great website for that.

The other day I saw a Radeon 280 for $149CDN (~$135US) which is a great deal. If you really want to go for nVidia you should just go for a GTX 970. It will be overkill for you but it's their best value right now and it will last you a really long time for 1080p gaming.

I have had absolutely no driver issues at all with my Radeon 280X and it runs all current games very nicely at 1080p resolution.

 

[ronbo613]

Which resolution will you normally be playing games on?

1920x1280 max on my computer monitors, 720p on the HDMI out to the TV.

I'm not concerned about super fine graphics, I just want to play a few games.

 

[exar333]

I would say look for a good deal on a midrange card. Slickdeals.net is a great website for that.

The other day I saw a Radeon 280 for $149CDN (~$135US) which is a great deal. If you really want to go for nVidia you should just go for a GTX 970. It will be overkill for you but it's their best value right now and it will last you a really long time for 1080p gaming.

I have had absolutely no driver issues at all with my Radeon 280X and it runs all current games very nicely at 1080p resolution.

This. Get much cheaper and the performance gets parity with a igpu. 280 is a great buy.

 

[ronbo613]

So, a "mid-range" graphics card these days is in the $150-200 range?

What would be a comparable Nvidia card to the Radeon 280?

I have not owned a Radeon card since AMD took over, but they seem pretty popular. Is it because of the price compared to Nvidia cards with similar specs?

I apologize for such basic questions. I haven't shopped for a performance graphics card in some time, I'm trying to get a general idea of what's what.

 

[SickBeast]

So, a "mid-range" graphics card these days is in the $150-200 range?

What would be a comparable Nvidia card to the Radeon 280?

I have not owned a Radeon card since AMD took over, but they seem pretty popular. Is it because of the price compared to Nvidia cards with similar specs?

I apologize for such basic questions. I haven't shopped for a performance graphics card in some time, I'm trying to get a general idea of what's what.

The GTX 770 is very comparable to the 280 or 280x, however it is significantly more expensive. The best I could find was a GTX 760 for about $200, but it would be slower than the AMD cards.

It's up to you. You pay a slight premium for nVidia but you will get better drivers. The 280/280x cards have very stable drivers at this point though.

 

[Runequest2]

If you are thinking about Nvidia it might not be a bad idea to wait a little bit for the GTX 960 release.

 

[ronbo613]

I'm not in a big hurry to get a card, I need to get schooled on what's available so I can make the right purchase.

My history with ATI drivers has left quite an impression, I'd probably pay a bit more for an nVidia card if I had to. I've had no problems with nVidia stuff and EVGA is a pretty good company, so it would take a bit of a leap of faith to go back to Radeon.

Thanks for all the input.

 

[exar333]

I'm not in a big hurry to get a card, I need to get schooled on what's available so I can make the right purchase.

My history with ATI drivers has left quite an impression, I'd probably pay a bit more for an nVidia card if I had to. I've had no problems with nVidia stuff and EVGA is a pretty good company, so it would take a bit of a leap of faith to go back to Radeon.

Thanks for all the input.

750 is a good card right now, but if you are interested in NV, as others stated, the 960 would be the way to go, but that is a few months out. A used 670 or 680 would also be a good choice....

 

[ronbo613]

The 750Ti looks like a great performer for the price, but it only has one DVI port and neither of my monitors has a displayport jack. I guess it would work with a DVI/displayport adapter.

 

[SickBeast]

Just keep in mind that card is pretty low end. Don't expect too much from it. I know I could not live with it at 1080p in current games.

 

[KaRLiToS]

Get a R9 280x and call it a day. (or R9 280)

 

[metalliax]

Get a R9 280x and call it a day. (or R9 280)

I have to agree with KaRLiToS here... if I were to spend $150-250 to buy a graphics card today, there really is no other choice other than the 280 or 280x. It's so much better than the nvidia alternative in the same price range. If you were looking to spend $350+, I'd say 970, otherwise, go for an AMD. You won't be disappointed. The drivers really have improved quite a bit in the past few years.

 

[ronbo613]

The R9 280 does look like a good choice in the price range I'm looking at.

Do Radeon drivers do a good job of supporting multiple monitors?

I know I could not live with it at 1080p in current games.

I like quality components, but I don't really game enough to notice a few fps. I may wind up playing most games in 720p via HDMI to my Sony 32" TV. That's what the Xbox 360 spits out now and it's fine for my purposes.

You guys are used to the good stuff. I gave up the video card swap-o-rama with my last computer. I probably have a couple old ATI All In Wonder cards around somewhere...

 

[SickBeast]

The R9 280 does look like a good choice in the price range I'm looking at.

Do Radeon drivers do a good job of supporting multiple monitors?

I like quality components, but I don't really game enough to notice a few fps. I may wind up playing most games in 720p via HDMI to my Sony 32" TV. That's what the Xbox 360 spits out now and it's fine for my purposes.

You guys are used to the good stuff. I gave up the video card swap-o-rama with my last computer. I probably have a couple old ATI All In Wonder cards around somewhere...

It's not a difference of a few FPS. The Radeon 280x is twice as fast as the GTX 750Ti.

I can't sit here and guarantee that you won't have driver issues with AMD. All I can say is that I have had no issues at all. I'm sure that there are people out there with specific configurations with problems. I do believe that nVidia has better drivers. That being said, I think that for you the 280/280x would be the best value by far.

 

[ronbo613]

Alright. Thanks everyone for getting me started in the right direction.

 

[Concillian]

Just keep in mind that card is pretty low end. Don't expect too much from it. I know I could not live with it at 1080p in current games.

Now a quote from the OP:

I'm not concerned about super fine graphics, I just want to play a few games.

I'm gonna guess that this guy doesn't need everything set "ultra" to consider it playable. MOST of the people I know who play games are fine with medium settings and they can still notice a big difference from consoles and PC @ Medium or High

If this is the kind of person you are, OP, then a 750 Ti will be adequate at 1080p. It won't run the latest games ultra. It will play most genres at high or ultra (MOBAs like DOTA / LoL, MMOs, Strategy games, etc....) It will need to move down to medium or high on some of the "benchmark" or releases that really push limits, (mostly FPS genre).

My wife's PC has an AMD 7850 in it and this is reasonably close to 750 Ti capability. on 1920x1200 it runs games well. Not all at ultra, but my nephew has no complaints.

People in this forum tend to overstress "ultra" settings and the very few games which actually push the limits of modern PCs. If you don't need a Battlefield @ ultra experience, then you don't need a GTX770 / R280x.

However, the R280 / 280x prices right now are really difficult to turn down. As has been noted it's a completely different level of performance from the 750 Ti, for what is very nearly the same price. If you have a PSU that will support the 280, it's definitely the price vs. performance leader right now.

 

[RussianSensation]

However, the R280 / 280x prices right now are really difficult to turn down. As has been noted it's a completely different level of performance from the 750 Ti, for what is very nearly the same price. If you have a PSU that will support the 280, it's definitely the price vs. performance leader right now.

It's nearly impossible to recommend the 750Ti. The cheapest 750Ti is $120. The cheapest R9 280 is $156 and it's one of the best ones too.

For $36, you get 3GB of VRAM and 63% more performance. That's $36 piece of mind this card will last him 2-3 years for his style of gaming gaming. He just needs to make sure that he picks the R9 280 version with display outputs to match his monitors. Some of the games he mentioned are not light games - BF4, Project CARS, COD Ghosts. Also, it's nice to know that an overclocked R9 280 is often trading blows or even beating stock R9 280X/770. Awesome level of performance for $160-170.

One more suggestion to the OP is to get a $40 after-market cooler and clock that i7 860 to 3.8Ghz+. That's another method to improve his overall performance for not much $.

 

[ronbo613]

Concillian, you're thinking along the same line as I do. I want the best quality I can get at a reasonable price, but my computer is a few years old, my monitors are fine for the video and graphics work I do, but my rig falls way short of a gaming rig. Heck, my TV is only 720p; virtually Stone Age!

RussianSensation, you make a valid point. I think I would spend the extra money for the extra performance of the R9 280 if I could convince myself that Radeon drivers will be as trouble free as the nVidia drivers I've been using for the past few years.

 

[Leyawiin]

I think I would spend the extra money for the extra performance of the R9 280 if I could convince myself that Radeon drivers will be as trouble free as the nVidia drivers I've been using for the past few years.

I use a single HD 7950. The drivers have been fine save for Skyrim that needed me to set the max FPS @ 60 (same as monitor refresh rate) to smooth out a couple stuttery places in the game. It was an easy enough fix (MSI Afterburner's Riva Tuner Statistics Server add-on can do it). Other than that I haven't notice any difference between the two drivers with the games I play (used to have a GTX 670).

 

[kawi6rr]

I have an Asus DCII R9 280x and its a beast it plays everything I can throw at it with ease. I've had no driver issues at all with this card too. They're so cheap right now I've contimplated buying another one

 

[Concillian]

I think I would spend the extra money for the extra performance of the R9 280 if I could convince myself that Radeon drivers will be as trouble free as the nVidia drivers I've been using for the past few years.

I have an AMD card in my wife's machine (that is mostly used by my 16 y/o nephew to play games.) and an nVidia card in my machine.

I don't see a huge difference between them. Every once in a while a game comes along that has a minor feature unique to one brand or another, but that's not really a factor. Driver wise, both have been fine for me.

I've been back and forth across the fence over the years and never really had HUGE issues with AMD drivers. There was a time where they weren't as polished, at this time though, I don't think drivers are really an issue for either brand.

 

[MongGrel]

I have an Asus DCII R9 280x and its a beast it plays everything I can throw at it with ease. I've had no driver issues at all with this card too. They're so cheap right now I've contimplated buying another one

What I've been running for about a year now.

Get a R9 280x and call it a day. (or R9 280)

+1

They overclock well in my experience.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-803-_-Product

 

[RussianSensation]

RussianSensation, you make a valid point. I think I would spend the extra money for the extra performance of the R9 280 if I could convince myself that Radeon drivers will be as trouble free as the nVidia drivers I've been using for the past few years.

Another option is to spend $270 on a GTX780. Considering this card was $650 on May 2013, this is an outstanding value all things considered. Since you are a casual gamer, this card would last you 3-5 years. Just make sure to overclock your CPU. Having said that, for single GPUs, AMD's drivers are great. The only negative that will affect you is higher power usage if you are running 3 monitors concurrently in 2D mode. For lower idle power usage with multi-monitors, you have to go NV at this time.